Oil clean-up following Vox Maxima collision continues

Van Oord’s trailing suction hopper dredger Vox Maxima allided with a stationary Singapore-flagged bunker vessel, the Marine Honour, on 14 June, which led to an oil spill. Clean-up efforts are ongoing. The Marine Honour will be lightered in order to be able to tow it to a shipyard for repairs.

The oil spilled occurred at Pasir Panjang Container Terminal. The Netherlands-registered dredger Vox Maxima caused damage to one of the tanks of the bunker tanker Marine Honour. This resulted in the oil spill.

The accident is still being investigated, but the Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has reported that the Vox Maxima suffered a sudden loss in engine and steering control before the allision. In a statement, Van Oord, owner of the Vox Maxima, has said that the accident occurred under pilotage.

In addition, the company states: ‘A dedicated Van Oord team has flown to Singapore and is on-site to assist where possible, and to support the captain and crew of the Vox Maxima. As responsible operators, we are fully insured with a leading member of The International Group of Protection and Indemnity (P&I) Clubs and will meet our responsibilities and obligations in relation to this incident.’

‘Investigations by the MPA are ongoing and the captain of the Vox Maxima and its crew are providing all assistance with those investigations. Concurrently our P&I insurer and flag state are also investigating the cause of this incident. In respect for these investigations, we cannot comment further whilst these investigations are ongoing,’ concludes Van Oord.

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Transferring Remaining Oil from Marine Honour

The damaged Marine Honour is currently anchored off the western petroleum anchorage. The remaining fuel oil on board from the ruptured cargo tank and its full contents on board the vessel must be emptied before it can be towed into the shipyard for its repair.

Aside the containment booms laid around the vessel, a 35-tonne oil load Current Buster system is on station to respond to any potential leaks in the lightering process to transfer the Marine Honour oil to another vessel.

The safe lightering of the vessel is expected to take one to two weeks as care is needed to ensure the stability of the vessel throughout the process.

550 tonnes of oil-soaked sand and debris collected

The removal of bulk oil from the sea and beaches is nearly completed. There has been no observed oil slick along the East Coast and Changi since 18 June based on both satellite and drone images. The bulk of oil-soaked sand has been removed from most of the affected public beaches, with the exception of Tanjong and Palawan beach at Sentosa. To date, about 550 tonnes of oil-soaked sand and debris have been collected from all affected beaches.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), National Environment Agency (NEA), National Parks Board (NParks), Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) and private organisations have deployed over 700 personnel since 14 June for cleaning-up operations.

Over 3400 metres of boom have been laid, to help contain trapped oil from flowing back to sea, and to prevent oil remnants from being washed ashore and into inland canals while beach clean-up operations are ongoing. As the tides may continue to sweep in more oil remnants, monitoring will continue.

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Clean-up at Pasir Panjang Container Terminal

Cleaning of trapped oil remnants in the shoreline areas and waterside infrastructures off Pasir Panjang Container Terminal including PSA Terminal and Labrador Nature Reserve was largely completed on 23 June. No residual oil has been onserved floating off the shoreline and the stranded oil near the shore and port structure since this morning.

Containment booms have been laid at the mouth of Keppel Marina to facilitate the clean-up efforts of the accumulated oil. A total of about forty clean-up personnel and two skimmer systems to recover the accumulated oil have been deployed. Oil booms at the mouth of the three canals leading to the residential areas have been set up and cleaning works are ongoing to clear the oil gathered there.

Around three months’ work

The MPA states they are entering the next phase of the clean-up response, which is focused on the more difficult clean-up of oil remnants trapped in areas such as coastal features, waterside infrastructures and rock bunds. This new phase will involve specialised resources and equipment.

For the more heavily impacted areas, including Sentosa’s Tanjong and Palawan beaches, the specialised clean-up operations are expected to take around three months, based on our preliminary estimates.

For the more lightly impacted areas at Sentosa Siloso beach and certain stretches of East Coast Park, this clean-up is expected to be completed earlier. The rock bund cleaning at Siloso beach has commenced since 21 June and the Singapore Civil Defence Force has deployed a Rapid Response Fire Vessel at the affected area to support the cleaning operation.

The rock bund cleaning at selected rock bunds at East Coast Park beaches will commence this week and the MPA is working towards the progressive re-opening of certain stretches earlier as well. All the beaches on Sentosa remain open. For biodiversity-sensitive sites, ongoing efforts are underway to monitor longer term impacts to biodiversity.

No more oil observed by satellites or drones

There have been no observed oil slicks at the Eastern Anchorages based on both satellite images and daily drone monitoring flights. Sporadic patches of oil sheens are observed, but this thin layer of oil on the water surface is expected to dissipate through a natural process. No oil has been observed at Changi and Pasir Ris Park beaches.

Current Buster systems are currently stationed off Changi and the east coast area and are ready to respond to any sightings of oil slicks in the area, with the support of the Police Coast Guard monitoring the area off Changi. The situation is dynamic, and it is possible for the oil spill to resurface at a later stage or flow to and affect other areas.

No swimming or vessel movements

Even after a beach has been cleaned and re-opened, swimming and water activities can resume only after water quality has gone back to normal and is stable.

Sentosa Cove is less severely affected, as lockgates were closed promptly, supplemented by absorbent booms since 15 June 2024. Currently, vessel movements within Sentosa Cove have been halted and these efforts have been made to minimise the impact on Cove waterways and canals within residential areas, while awaiting oil deposits on seaward rock bunds to be cleaned. Vessel movements will be allowed to resume when lockgates are safe to open.

Fish safe to consume

To date, local fish farms have remained unaffected by the oil spill. Nonetheless, as a precautionary measure, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has been taking fish samples twice daily from coastal fish farms in the East Johor Strait for food safety tests. The test results continue to indicate that local fish are safe for consumption. Singapore’s drinking water supply remains unaffected as well.

Photo (top): The remaining fuel oil onboard from the ruptured cargo tank and its full contents onboard Marine Honour must be emptied before it can be towed into the shipyard for its repair. Aside the containment booms laid around the vessel, a 35-tonne oil load Current Buster system is on station to respond to any potential leaks in the lightering process to transfer the Marine Honour oil to another vessel (photo MPA).

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